+
PPT
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Complete with maps, photographs, and historical documents, this presentation would be a great resource throughout a unit about mid-19th century America. Manifest Destiny, Texas Independence, the Oregon Trail, and the Mexican War are all...
+
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
+
Worksheet
Learning Links

The Josefina Story Quilt Study Guide

For Teachers K - 3rd
Considering using The Josefina Story Quilt in your classroom? Check out this sample teaching guide for a list of pre-reading activities.
+
Lesson Plan
Illinois State University

Tragedy, Triumph, or Trespass?

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Did westward expansion really live up to the dream of adventurers for a new life and opportunities for land and resources? While designed for a flipped classroom, try using this resource to evaluate primary sources alongside your class!...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocky Train Trek

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students research about America's westward movement and the effect of railroads on indigenous peoples, U.S. society, the environment, and the economy. They plan, map, and document an imaginary train journey across North America in the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural and Social Transformation since 1865

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the evolution of cultural and social issues in areas of Westward Expansion, Immigration, and Civil Rights. They practice writing clear details with supporting evidence and examples and evaluate ways of improving drafts...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Interesting Facts about the Historic Trails

For Students 6th - 8th
The Oregon trail is a very interesting part of American history. The class, having read or discussed the events leading to the westward expansion and settling of the Oregon Territory, can answer each of these fill-in-the-blank...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Women and the Law Ladies of the 80's: 1780's, 1880's, 1980's

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine laws that have affected women in history: the 1780's, following the United States independence from England; the 1880's, the time of westward expansion, the silver/gold era, and the coming of the Industrial Revolution.
+
PPT
Curated OER

Sunken Millions: The Way West

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Recover sunken treasure with this interactive PowerPoint! Break your class into two teams: the divers and the surfers. They'll work together to answer 20 multiple choice questions, reviewing major events that occurred during the 1800s....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fine Tuning a Nation: Using Cartoons

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students examine political cartoons to gain an understanding of the political issues that George Washington faced. In this historical perspectives lesson, students analyze political cartoons about the National Bank, the title presidents,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overland Trails To The West

For Teachers 5th
Consider the political, physical, and geographical factors that led to and marked the Westward Expansion. Learners will track the various routes developed during the 1800's. They create a first person journal describing what they see,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Removal of the Cherokees in Relation to Westward Expansion

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. For this Westward Expansion lesson,students examine primary and secondary, print and nonprint sources regarding the removal of the Cherokee.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Westward Expansion

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students locate California and New York on a map and explore available means of travel in the 19th century. Students explore the role of trade in pioneer America and simulate various barter transactions.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Expansion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers investigate the Manifest Denstiny. They explore how the idea was evident in 19th century American maps. Students brainstorm the relationships between maps and national expansion. They review a map from 1816 that called...
+
PPT
Curated OER

The Railroads: The First Transcontinental Railroad

For Teachers 9th - 11th
The move West was greatly effected by the first transcontinental railroad. Present your class with well-organized information regarding major causes, players, and effects the railroad had on the face of an expanding America. Note: A...
+
PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: Manifest Destiny and its Legacy

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Frame your lecture about Manifest Destiny around these maps, which portray the extended boundaries of various American territories in the 19th century. Campaigns of the Mexican War, and a map of the Spanish Missions on the West Coast are...
+
PPT
Curated OER

From a New Nation to a Divided Nation

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Quiz your students or prepare them for the big exam with this presentation. Included are 24 multiple choice questions related to Early American Government, The Colonial Period, Westward Expansion, and State Formation.
+
PPT
Curated OER

The Election of 1844

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Briefly detailing the goals and issues within the Polk election and presidency, this presentation can help your students to bridge their knowledge of American politics and issues prior to the Civil War. It includes photographs of Polk,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The People of Kansas: Where did they come from and why did they come?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students review census data to correlate to emigration in Kansas. In this Westward Expansion instructional activity, students analyze a painting and create definitions for emigration and discuss why people emigrate. Students read and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Town Development

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students evaluate how the impact of building of towns affected slavery.  In this United States History lesson, students work in small groups to construct a map, then they participate in a role-playing activity.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Westward Expansion and the Frontier

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion lesson, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bison on the Plains

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration instructional activity, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analysis of the Diary of Narcissa Whitman

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore the West through the eyes of a settler. In this Westward Expansion lesson, 7th graders read excerpts from the diary of Narcissa Whitman as she journeyed West from Pennsylvania. Students respond to critical...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frontier Forts

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study frontier forts. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders research the history and conditions of Fort Leavenworth, Fort Scott, Fort Riley, Fort Larned, and Fort Hays. Students write letters from the perspective of...